Kumauni Literature-4

Purna Chandra Kandpal: A Multitalented Kumauni Creative
Bhishma Kukreti


When I asked Purna Chandra kandpal for entering in Kumauni literature , his answer was as usually other migrated Garhwali-Kumauni language creative answer , “ I am unable to do much for my motherland and by creating literature in my mother-tongue I am trying to reduce the debt of my motherland on me.” This is the reason that a writer who has fifteen books in Hindi in his credit wrote verses and stories in Kumauni language.
Purna Chandra was born on 28th March, 1948 in Khagyar village of district Ranikhet. He graduated from Jodhpur and did passed M. A . (Political Science) from Ruhelkhand University . His mother’s name is Smt Hansi Devi and father’s name is Budhiballabh Kandpal. Recently he retired as health teacher from Delhi government education department.

He published twom immemorable books in Kumauni language .

Ukav-Horav (Ups and Downs) is his collection of Kumauni poems and was appreciated by critics and intellectual readers. There are forty nine verses in this volume of poems . Ten poems are geet, fifteen poems are humorous and satire poems and rest poems are of different verses . Hmour and pathos are his best subject of creating poetry. In one telephonic interview with the author he said that the struggle in hill area of Kumauni pushes him to create pathos rapture and to come up from passing all the struggle there inspire him writing humorous literature . Most of his poems are of conventional nature in terms of style, form and objectivity. He is master of using Kumauni symbols and images but he did not do much new experiments in Kumauni as he did in Hindi poetry.

Bhal Karau Chyalaa ( Son! You did the best ) is his collection of short stories in Kumauni language. There are fifteen stories in this collection . There are various types of subjects in the collection. ‘Kadhai Punchi Jyun’ is about the sacrifice of average hill area women who can spend life on mere food and the least comforts left for her by family members. Das Dangari jagari masan is again about the oppression o n Kumauni women. The writer asks the world why ‘Masan Nachai ‘ is limited to women folks only and not to men. ‘Sangatau asar’, ‘Bakari bali’ ‘Ija ki yad’, ‘Panchun Fasal’, Madhiya ku Byau’, Prigu Master ‘ and other stories take you to the daily life in villages of Ranikhet . No doubt most of stories are nearer to realism of rural Ranikhet but every story has inspirational meaning too. The write used regional dialects to keep the color of Ranikhet district and descriptions festivals, jagar-ghadela , grasslands represent the beauty and culture of whole of Kumaun.
The use of proverbs , paheli, symbols, images of Kumauni etc make the stories vibrant to read easily and make the stories interesting .
By reading collection of poetries and short stories, the author can say confidently that Purna Chandra Kandpal is a versatile creative of Kumauni language and the Kumauni readers expect much more literature from such a multitalented creative .

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, 2009